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Day 2 in Delhi, India

Dubai and New Delhi, India

After a buffet breakfast included in the hotel rate we were off to explore Delhi. Most hotels in India include the buffet breakfast which has a combination of North American, European and Indian breakfast items. I liked the Poha which is a spicy rice mixed with some black seeds (could not identify) and maybe potatoes or cous cous and lots of Saffron. Along the route to the Hindu Temple called Shri Lakshmi Narain Temple we encountered many beggars which camp out at the traffic lights. It is really sad and depressing when you see the children and the mothers with babies banging on your window and you want to grab them all and help them. Little boys younger than Daxtin selling pencils you name it you will see it. One thing that I have not seen is children that have been disfigured by horrible people and enslaved to beg for them and then they make the profit. I am not sure if these children have been put in orphanages since the New Delhi Commonwealth Games to make the city appear to look better, but we have not seen any of these cases. It is quite pathetic to see and know that you are helpless to assist them all.

The ever present Tuk Tuks or little motor cycle taxis which seat two people but are often seen carrying 4 to 6 people are everywhere. They are all yellow and green in Delhi and are very inexpensive because they are slow and cold. Every site that we visited takes about 45 minutes to one hour to get to in Delhi due to the extreme congested traffic.

The Hindu Temple was very pretty and elaborate and large. You could not take your camera in and you had to take your shoes off. Let me tell you how cold marble is on your feet at 2 degrees Celsius, not fun. The Hindu religion is very interesting to re-learn about all of their gods.

We next went to Old Delhi which was originally the city of Delhi and surrounded by walls and 14 gates. Some of the walls and gates still stand today. It is more hectic in the Old City due to narrower roads and tighter spaces. I loved taking pictures of all of the people going about their daily lives which is so different than Canada. We visited the Mosque which is the largest in India and it was a rather drab red sandstone building and it was surprisingly extremely dirty. All the mosques that we have been in so far have been spotless. I really did not want to be walking around with my stocking feet but I had no choice. You remove your shoes as a sign of respect and women receive a complimentary ugly robe to wear.

We next went to Rajghat the cremation site of Ghandi. It is now a 4Km X 2 Km park with the area of cremation close to the river bank where all Hindus are cremated on the river bank. We then went to the Humayun's Tombs which is a mausoleum

and then we did a drive by of the parliament buildings of India which is the largest democracy in the world. We stopped outside the President’s Palace which is the biggest Presidential Palace in the world. We then went to the Qutab Minar the Victory Tower which was built hundreds of years ago and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. It is built in red sandstone and it is very colourful because they added different color sandstone to the buildings. The drive to this site took one hour and Darren and Daxtin fell asleep so I went out with the guide and explored. I liked this site the best in Delhi because it was a combination of ruins and a site in good condition. I could have stayed there for another hour or so. Delhi is not a city that I would need to return to, it is very dirty, polluted and too chaotic. I would return to India and go to the Shimla and Goa areas for sure.